County’s draft budget won’t fund anti-domestic violence group

EASTVILLE – Northampton County’s 2015 budget will move to public hearing without a tax increase and without funding for the Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The $59 million budget will not require a tax increase, and includes one small but noteworthy reduction: a motor vehicle tax rate of zero for qualified veterans, limited to one vehicle per veteran.

“We feel we can offer that this year,” said County Administrator Katie Nunez. “We feel it is a nominal impact to put this in place,” noting it had been requested last year during the budget’s public hearing process.­

Level funding suited District 2 Supervisor and Board Chairman Larry LeMond. “I’m not in favor of a tax increase this year,” he said. Many requests for funding were denied or reduced to keep the county within its expected revenue, and the Board voted to put $119,463 into a contingency fund.

“I’d like to have some money in my back pocket in case ­something goes wrong,” ­LeMond said.

Supervisors made some last-minute tweaks, including a slight increase in the volunteer incentive program, which gives a real estate property tax credit for emergency responders living in the county. The incentive would inch up from $100 to $125.

They also added $5,000 to the Area Agency on Aging’s $9,400 allocation, designated for its Meals on Wheels program, which delivered 17,800 meals to home-bound elderly and disabled county residents.

District 3 Supervisor Oliver Bennett pressed for the increase. “There are some folks in Northampton County that are living hard,” he said. “We may give them a helping hand, but that’s a small, small helping hand compared to what we could do.”

Supervisors turned down a request for $8,394 from the Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence to help offset costs for services to victims of domestic violence in Northampton County.

“I’d just like to point out there are 47 (domestic violence) shelters in Virginia. Forty-three are supported by local government bodies at some level,” said Harry Rush, a member of the coalition’s board of directors. There is always 10 percent “who didn’t get the word,” said Rush, “so I think you’re part of the 10 percent, and I think I’ve given you the word.”

Accomack County funded the coalition at $10,000 for 2014, the same amount included in the proposed 2015 budget. It also approved an additional $5,000 contingent on final revenue forecasts being sufficient to absorb the additional amount, said Finance Director Mike Mason.

But Nunez reminded the Northampton County Board that its own policy prohibits allocating county tax dollars to nonprofit organizations, except to fire companies. “I really don’t see a clear way of altering your policy that wouldn’t open it up for other nonprofits petitioning you.”

A clearly frustrated District 5 Supervisor Larry Trala made several runs at funding the coalition.

“I’d just like to see us do whatever it takes,” he said.

LeMond said he would not support a policy change. “That’s going open up a whole bag of worms, and I don’t want to go down that road,” he said.

“What really bothers me,” said Trala, “is we can fund a Tall Ships project, and we’re not able to go ahead and fund such an organization as this for the small amount they are requesting.”­

The proposed budget recommends funding the annual Tall Ships at Cape Charles festival at $15,000. Nunez said the county contracted for those services through a request for proposals.

Trala questioned whether the county could follow the same process for the coalition. Nunez suggested other entities could also bid to provide those services. “It may not be this group that comes forth,” she said. “I just need you to be aware of all the ramifications” of putting the services out to bid.

Sheriff David Doughty suggested at the April 2 budget workshop that the Board consider using some of the traffic fine revenue to fund domestic violence programs.

“I have been working hand in hand with them,” Doughty later told the News, referring to the coalition. “They are working hard to address (domestic violence) issues.”­

District 1 supervisor Granville Hogg revisited the possibility of using traffic fine revenue to fund the domestic violence coalition during the April 8 budget discussion. “According to the Sheriff’s Department,” said Hogg, “a lot of (the coalition’s) people were Sheriff’s Department customers.”

Nunez had a different suggestion. “Maybe I’ll get in trouble for saying this, but I think your sheriff does host a charity golf tournament that potentially they could look to that to be a recipient of those golf proceeds,” she said, adding the county has no involvement in the golf event. “I’m just putting a suggestion out there having recently seen how
he awarded those funds.”

Hospice and the Randy Custis Memorial Fund each received $7,500 from the $15,000 proceeds of Sheriff David Doughty’s 12th annual charity golf tournament last September. The Randy Custis Memorial fund supports the park that bears his name in Nassawadox.

The Board ultimately voted to move the budget to public hearing at its May 13 meeting without funding for the Eastern Shore Coalition Against Domestic Violence.­